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US 7,255,845 B2Granted
Process for conducting an equilibrium limited chemical reaction in a single stage process channel
AssigneeVelocys, Inc.
InventorsAnna Lee Tonkovich, Wayne W. Simmons, Kai Tod Paul Jarosch, Terry Mazanec, Eric Daymo, Ying Peng, Jennifer Lynne Marco
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention relates to a process for conducting an equilibrium limited chemical reaction in a single stage process channel. A process for conducting a water shift reaction is disclosed. A multichannel reactor with cross flow heat exchange is disclosed.
Claims52
A process for conducting a water-gas shift reaction in a single stage process channel, comprising:
- flowing reactants comprising CO and H2O through the single stage process channel, the process channel being a microchannel, the process channel having an entrance where the reactants enter and an exit where a product exits, the process channel containing a water-gas shift reaction catalyst, the reactants contacting the catalyst as they flow through the process channel and undergoing an exothermic reaction resulting in the formation of the product, the product comprising H2 and CO2;
- and
- flowing a coolant fluid through a coolant channel in thermal contact with the process channel, the thermal contacting of the coolant fluid with the process channel resulting in the formation of a first reaction zone and a second reaction zone within the process channel, the first reaction zone being near the entrance to the process channel and the second reaction zone being near the exit to the process channel, the temperature within the first reaction zone being at least about 20° C. higher than the temperature within the second reaction zone, the rate of formation of the product being greater in the first reaction zone than in the second reaction zone, the conversion of CO increasing as reactants flow through the second reaction zone.
A process for conducting a water-gas shift reaction in a single stage process channel, comprising:
- flowing reactants comprising CO and H2O in the single stage process channel, the process channel being a microchannel, the process channel having an entrance where the reactants enter and an exit where a product exits, the process channel containing a water-gas shift reaction catalyst, the reactants contacting the catalyst as they flow in the process channel and undergoing an exothermic reaction resulting in the formation of the product, the product comprising H2 and CO2;
- and
- flowing a coolant fluid through a coolant channel in thermal contact with the process channel, the thermal contacting of the coolant fluid with the process channel resulting in the formation of a first reaction zone and a second reaction zone within the process channel, the first reaction zone being near the entrance to the process channel and the second reaction zone being near the exit to the process channel, the temperature within the first reaction zone being at least about 20° C. higher than the temperature within the second reaction zone, the length of the first reaction zone comprising from about 10% to about 20% of the overall length of the single stage process channel, the length of the second reaction zone comprising from about 80% to about 90% of the overall length of the single stage process channel, the rate of formation of the product being greater in the first reaction zone than in the second reaction zone, the conversion of CO increasing as reactants flow in the second reaction zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.